*Cough*
"Alright, in you go," the grand priestess moved aside, allowing Princess Ceni and Hao Xuan to walk inside in that order.
Hao Xuan turned around to ask for exact instructions since she had still not given any, "What do we-" but the grand priestess waved her smoking pipe and closed the alter and the only exit.
Thankfully, her voice echoed in their ears a moment later.
'Just keep moving forward at a normal pace and you'll come out on the top. But whatever you do, do not walk backwards. It could leave you buried anywhere deep underground and you would have to crawl your way up, if it is even possible.'
Hao Xuan who was about to walk back froze midstride and carefully pulled back his foot.
"Well…thank you for letting us know, you old hag!" he muttered out loud thinking she wouldn't be able to hear it but a ghostly "You are welcome, youngin," was carried into his ears, startling him.
A little embarrassed, Hao Xuan turned around and started walking down the tunnel following closely behind Princess Ceni.
Whenever they moved a few steps the sound of earth moving would come from directly behind them and living soil would be replaced by normal one. Only the area directly in front and below them was still part of living soil.
Hao Xuan noticed that the living soil would keep moving forward even if he didn't so he needed to be just a bit faster than it.
It was quiet, damp, dark, and as previously mentioned, extremely musky for Hao Xuan. He held his breath for the most part and whenever he did breathe, the scent of Princess Ceni's perfume wafted into his nostrils.
Being barely half a meter away from her it was extremely strong. It smelled like freshly cut lilacs and went straight to his brain, permeating a sweet taste in Hao Xuan's mouth to go along with it.
Hao Xuan was a little too close to her in this cramped space and since there was no other sound in here, all he could focus on was the rustling of clothes that lightly brushed against Princess Ceni's skin.
And as intended, his thoughts quickly went in a weird direction. His imagination ran wild and he couldn't help but picture her naked form. It was almost like he couldn't help himself from doing so despite his personal reservations.
At one moment he blinked and she appeared to be completely naked right in front of him but when he blinked again it was back to normal.
'Fucking hell, what is wrong with me?!' Hao Xuan looked away, shocked at his own desperate thoughts.
Still, to not make her feel uncomfortable, he tried to say something to fill in the silence.
"Um, nice perfume."
"….."
"….."
"……"
"I'm not wearing any," she finally replied what felt like an eternity later.
Hao Xuan realized it was her natural scent he was smelling which made him even more excited for some reason. Her words had almost a hypnotic effect on him, forcing him to look away from her completely.
But as soon as he closed his eyes Princess Ceni tripped and he ran right into her backside. Hao Xuan's hearts both skipped a beat as another image popped into his mind.
He saw himself pinning Ceni against the wall and ripping her clothes off.
'What the FUCK!?'
He took a quick step back and started apologizing profusely, "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to-"
"No it was my fault. I didn't see the steps," she pushed against his chest and walked forward.
There were indeed some rough stone steps in front of them that were going up, leading towards the exit that was now in sight.
Hao Xuan's hearts were thumping like maddened bulls. His face flushed and became hot o the touch. That was so unlike him just now but he could feel it wasn't too far-fetched.
'I don't know if I will be able to stop myself if I was ever in such a situation,' he thought inwardly.
They walked up the stone steps for a minute or so that came out on top of a small ledge on the side of a mountain.
There was an archway cut into the mountainside from which they had exited. It looked to be at least a few centuries old.
Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief as he gently pushed past Princess Ceni and moved to the side, shuffling down the path that was leading into the forest below.
Princess Ceni watched his back vanish behind the trees and let out a proud smile. She waved her hand. The bracelet hanging from her wrist shone for an instant as a small shape materialized in front of her.
"Hoho, I am back, world! Watch how I take all your sticks for myself!" the small dog jumped up and down.
"Haeti!" Princess Ceni called out his name to get his attention. (First mentioned in CH 563. Bearded Maltese dog that walks on two feet, dressed in all black like a ninja and carries a small sword on its back).
"My lady!!" he finally noticed Princess Ceni and ran up to her in all fours.
"Did it work my lady? Did the spell work?"
She nodded lightly, her lips arching into a sly smile.
"It did. And it wasn't a spell, just some basic hypnosis but….it definitely worked. I was able to project a portion of my thoughts right into his mind and he didn't even think twice about it. It looks like my mother's bloodline has some uses after all."
"Keukeukeu, you shall have him soon, my lady. He will be groveling at your feet in no time!"
